--:-- [Theme music fades out]
--:-- Scott Simon: Good morning, I'm Scott Simon. I'm Aisha Rascoe, and this is Up First from NPR News.
--:-- Aisha Rascoe: President Trump's tariffs are here, and that means higher prices for many things Americans buy every single day. We'll tell you what to expect at the store checkout.
--:-- Scott Simon: Bacon is through the roof. They're all through the roof. The milk, everything is bad. And we're going to straighten it out. We're going to bring prices way down, and we'll get it done fast. That was then-candidate Donald Trump on the campaign trail.
--:-- Aisha Rascoe: We'll look at how his new tariffs are going to affect grocery prices. We'll also take a look at a Republican spending bill intended to help enact President Trump's domestic policies. Also, a big hockey record, Tide and college basketball. So stay with us. We have the news you need to start your weekend.
--:-- Scott Simon: This message comes from BetterHelp. President Fernando Madeira describes how BetterHelp Online Therapy has helped him.
--:-- Fernando Madeira: For me, sometimes I just need to go and talk to somebody that is not going to judge me, right? Is going to be there and going to listen to me. And I can start just saying, look, I'm not feeling right today. And it feels natural. I love it.
--:-- Aisha Rascoe: To get matched with a therapist, visit BetterHelp.com slash NPR for 10% off your first month.
--:-- Scott Simon: This message comes from NPR sponsor AARP.
--:-- AARP Representative: Where do you see your career in 12 years? What are you doing now to help you get there? The sooner you start enhancing your skills, the sooner you'll be ready. That's why AARP has management, finance, and small business reskilling courses, all to help your income live as long as you do. Because the steps you choose to take today will help you love what you do in the future. Learn more at aarp.org slash skills.
--:-- Scott Simon: Lowering grocery prices was one of President Trump's repeated campaign promises. But shortly after he was elected, the president did admit it would be hard to bring prices down once they have gone up.
--:-- Aisha Rascoe: Well, hold on to your wallet, Scott, because according to economic experts, of our trading partners will make prices on many things go up even higher. And Pierre Scott Newman is looking at which items in our grocery cart might get hit first.
--:-- Pierre Scott Newman: Scott, thanks for being with us. Good to be here.
--:-- Scott Simon: What food could see the biggest price increases?
--:-- Pierre Scott Newman: Seafood. The U.S. imports around 80% of the seafood we consume. That's fish, but also other things like shrimp and scallops. We get a lot of it from Asian countries that have high tariff rates. India with a 26% rate and Indonesia with a 32% rate. So if these countries pass along to consumers even a portion of their higher costs, the price of seafood could skyrocket.
--:-- Aisha Rascoe: And what else might be affected?
--:-- Pierre Scott Newman: Well, I spoke with food industry analyst Phil Lempert. He also edits a site called supermarketguru.com. I would estimate that probably almost half of the products in a supermarket have some issue that these tariffs are going to affect. So another item on my list is coffee. Something like 80% of the coffee consumed in the U.S. each year comes mostly from Brazil and Colombia. They only have 10% tariffs, but as most of us know, coffee prices are already high, and this might force us to rethink our morning routines.
--:-- Scott Simon: Then there's alcohol. The U.S. gets a lot of its imported beer from Mexico, the Netherlands, Ireland, and Canada, and a lot of its wine from European Union countries that will now have a 20% tariff.
--:-- Aisha Rascoe: And I guess it looks like a lot of Asian countries will face higher tariffs also. Right. We already mentioned seafood, but another major export from Asia is rice. About a third of the rice the U.S. consumes comes from there. Jasmine rice from Thailand, which will have a 36% tariff, and basmati from India, which faces a 26% tax.
--:-- Pierre Scott Newman: Kenneth Rogoff, a Harvard economics professor, says some minority communities that rely on imported food are probably going to be affected. And I expect Asian-Americans particularly, but all of us, are going to face a big hit.
--:-- Scott Simon: Do you have an idea of how much prices are going to rise because of the tariffs?
--:-- Pierre Scott Newman: It's too early to say there are just too many factors at play. For example, you wouldn't immediately think that steel and aluminum tariffs on China would have any impact on groceries. But for canned goods like soup and vegetables, those cans are mostly made out of steel. And of course, beer cans are mostly aluminum. Then there's palm oil. Indonesia, a leading supplier, will have a 32 percent tariff. Palm oil is used in everything from cooking oil and snacks to cosmetics and shampoo. Domestic suppliers, too, could see the higher costs of their foreign competition as an opportunity to raise their own prices.
--:-- Scott Simon: Senate Republicans are moving ahead with their budget plan. It's intended to help realize some of President Trump's domestic policies, such as his tax and energy agendas.
--:-- Aisha Rascoe: And per congressional correspondent Claudia Grasalis has been following the bill's progress.
--:-- Claudia Grasalis: Thanks so much for being with us. Thanks for having me, Scott.
--:-- Scott Simon: And Senate Republicans unveiled this plan earlier in the week. What can you tell us about it?
--:-- Claudia Grasalis: Right. This is a blueprint for a multi-trillion dollar measure that could become a hallmark of Trump's second term. It reimagines defense, energy, immigration, and tax policy spending. So lots of major elements here. That includes an extension of tax cuts passed during Trump's first term that are set to expire by year end.
--:-- Aisha Rascoe: Republicans argue Americans would see their tax bills rise without it, but critics say it will come with a huge price tag that would raise the federal deficit.
--:-- Claudia Grasalis: It would also lift the U.S. debt limit by $5 trillion to avoid a breach this summer. And without that, we could be looking at a default. So a big concern there they're hoping to address. But we should also note this is just the beginning of a very long, complicated process known as budget reconciliation.
--:-- Scott Simon: And that includes a series of legislative hurdles designed to overcome a Senate filibuster. Because Republicans control the Senate, but only 53 seats.
--:-- Aisha Rascoe: Could they ultimately pass this plan with a simple majority? I mean, can they get there?
--:-- Claudia Grasalis: Maybe, but it's clearly looking to shape up to be an uphill battle. The House has their own blueprint, and there's big differences between the two chambers they're going to need to sort through. And by big, they're more than a trillion dollars apart in their blueprints.
--:-- Scott Simon: Now, if both sides can sort those differences, they'll move to pass one final blueprint, start crafting actual text for this massive plan, then try to pass that plan in both chambers on very tight margins.
--:-- Aisha Rascoe: So while there's this lower vote threshold in the Senate, congressional Republicans need to stay virtually united with little room for error.
--:-- Claudia Grasalis: What are some of the divides between Senate and House Republicans?
--:-- Scott Simon: Well, Senate Republicans say they want to make those Trump tax cuts permanent, and they claim it will not increase federal debt through an accounting tactic.
--:-- Aisha Rascoe: But even Republican fiscal hawks in the House are not buying it.
--:-- Claudia Grasalis: Then the Senate blueprint aims to reduce the deficit by around $4 billion. That's a small fraction of what House Republicans want to do. They want to cut at least $1.5 trillion. Also in the House, Republicans have directed the Energy and Commerce Committee to cut $880 billion in spending.
--:-- Scott Simon: That's raised the specter that those cuts cannot happen without a significant hit to Medicaid benefits. And some Republican members say that's something they cannot stomach.
--:-- Aisha Rascoe: How do Republicans overcome the divide? Is that where President Trump's attempt to sit?
--:-- Claudia Grasalis: We expect he will. He's virtually become a congressional closer in terms of getting key legislation past the finish line, whether it's involved direct meetings at the White House with Republican leaders or holdouts, including those fiscal hawks in some cases, and last minute phone calls to flip Republican no's to yeses.
--:-- Scott Simon: So expect that to ramp up as this process heats up, and he'll likely have to weigh in on that huge divide between the chambers.
--:-- Aisha Rascoe: That at one end, we see fiscal hawks who have proven in past congressional sessions they're willing to rebuke leadership, but they have yet to do that this year.
--:-- Claudia Grasalis: And they're going to be facing off against Republicans firmly opposed to Medicaid cuts. So it's shaping up to be one of the biggest obstacles to final passage that will test Republicans' appetite to touch a political third rail in a pivotal moment for the party.
--:-- Scott Simon: Basketball and hockey fans had a big night last night. A hockey legend's goal record, which many people said was unbreakable, was matched after 26 years.
--:-- Aisha Rascoe: And of course, looking ahead to college basketball finals, Howard Bryant of Meadowluck Media joins us.
--:-- Howard Bryant: Thanks for being with us. Good morning, Scott. How are you?
--:-- Scott Simon: I'm fine, thanks, my friend.
--:-- Howard Bryant: Let's try April Hysteria. Women's tournament, final set after South Carolina beat Texas 74-57, UConn throttled UCLA 85-51. Who do you think has the edge in the final tomorrow?
--:-- Scott Simon: That's a great question. You're talking about one team UConn that's won the thing 11 times at Gini Ariema. Then you're talking about Don Staley in South Carolina. They're the defending champions. So tough to say who's got the edge.
--:-- Howard Bryant: I think that I'm, you know, Scott, we've been doing this for a long time. You're the champion until somebody beats you. So even though UConn looked phenomenal, even though I think they've got the best player in the country in Paige Beckers, and they look like they are absolutely ready to finally do something that Paige Beckers hasn't done which is to win the championship. She's been in the Final Four almost her entire career other than the 2023 knee injury but she so close.
--:-- Scott Simon: And you want to climb that mountain now is the time to do it but at the same time, you're going up against a championship team that has looked beatable, but here they are again. South Carolina's champion for a reason.
--:-- Howard Bryant: Men's tournament, Final Four tonight. Florida faces Auburn, Houston faces Duke. All the number one seeds in play, first time in the Final Four since 2008. So, I mean, what was March about?
--:-- Scott Simon: Yeah, well, it's interesting because the last time it happened, and the only other time it happened was in 2008 in San Antonio, and here we are again in San Antonio. But you've got great teams. I think that they are the four best teams. They've all been sort of trading being number one or very close to it.
--:-- Scott Simon: I didn't think Auburn was going to get there. Because they can be so erratic, but they've all played close games. They've all won blowouts as well. They all play defense. I think Houston's the one whose offense isn't as good as the other ones.
--:-- Howard Bryant: I mean, Duke has got Cooper Flagg, who you're probably going to see him in the NBA in about six months. And so every team here has a reason why they can win. You look at even a team like Florida that nobody thought was as good as they are. Good team. They lost one game since February 1st.
--:-- Scott Simon: So everybody's great. They all play similar styles. Then you've got the superstar with Cooper Flagg and Duke, but they're the youngest team. So here we go.
--:-- Howard Bryant: And of course, last night in the NHL, Alexander Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals tied the NHL's all-time scoring record held by Wayne Gretzky. He scored two goals last night, 39 years old, still playing at such a high level. And broke his leg this year, by the way.
--:-- Scott Simon: Right, I'd forgotten that. And broke his leg in November. Incredible.
--:-- Howard Bryant: And I think this is, I mean, this is one of those records, Scott. You're not supposed to break Wayne Gretzky's record. And to have done it in one, and to tie it in one fewer game is sort of also amazing.
--:-- Scott Simon: And I think that when you look at Ovi, the scoring, the goals, the ferocity, the way he plays the game. There is so much to love about what he's done. I think the amazing thing is obviously this is one of those records that you're just never, you never expected anyone. When Gretzky broke Gordie Howe's record at 801 back 30 years ago, you didn't think anybody was going to get to 894 and here we are.
--:-- Howard Bryant: And if he wants to, because he's still playing so well, he could score 950, he could score a thousand goals if he wants to, if he wants to keep going. But it's fascinating to see it happen, to witness one of the all-time great records go.
--:-- Scott Simon: And I think the thing that I really sort of enjoy about it as well is that this is also what it takes. Because let's not forget, before they won the Cup seven years ago, people were thinking that he was finished, that he was done.
--:-- Howard Bryant: That's right. And here he is at the top of the mountain, a Mount Rushmore moment for the unbreakable record about to be broken.
--:-- Scott Simon: Okay. Howard Bryant of Meadowlark Media, thanks so much for being with us.
--:-- Howard Bryant: My pleasure, Scott.
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--:-- Scott Simon: And that's up first for Saturday, April 5th, 2025. I'm Scott Simon. And I'm Aisha Rascoe.
--:-- Aisha Rascoe: Martin Patience produced this podcast with help from Gabe O'Connor and Elena Twarek. Dee Parvaz edited along with Melissa Gray, Avi Schneider, and Martha Ann Overland.
--:-- Scott Simon: Daniel Hensel is our fine director, with expert support from technical director Andy Huther, engineers Jay Sizz, Zach Coleman, and Simon Laszlo Jansen.
--:-- Aisha Rascoe: Our senior supervising editor is Shannon Rhodes. Evie Stone is our executive producer, and Jim Kane is our deputy managing editor.
--:-- [Theme music continues to play]
--:-- Scott Simon: Tomorrow on the Sunday story, the Trump administration's crackdown on immigrants means those communities are living through uncertain times. We'll hear from immigrants in several states on how they're coping.
--:-- Aisha Rascoe: And for more news, interviews, sports and music, you can tune in to Weekend Edition on your radio. Go to stations.npr.org to find your local NPR station.
--:-- [Theme music fades out]
--:-- Scott Simon: But hold up. Wait, wait, so to speak. Before you go, we have one more thing for you today.
--:-- Aisha Rascoe: Now, you know, we take keeping you informed very seriously. Our friends at NPR's Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me, they take making fun of the news very seriously. And they do it so well.
--:-- Scott Simon: Each week they create a news quiz. We want to give up first listeners the chance to play along.
--:-- Aisha Rascoe: You can test your knowledge of the week's news against the show's panelists by listening every weekend.
--:-- Scott Simon: Check out this weekend's Lightning Fill-in-the-Blank News Quiz.
--:-- [Theme music for Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me starts playing]
--:-- Host of Wait, Wait: Now on to our final game, Lightning Fill-in-the-Blank. Each of our players will have 60 seconds in which to answer as many fill questions as they can. Each correct answer now worth two points.
--:-- Bill: Can you give us the scores? Sir Ken McGeehan has one, Tig and Josh each have three.
--:-- Host of Wait, Wait: Oh my goodness. How am I sucking so bad? McGeehan, you're in third place. You're going to go first.
--:-- McGeehan: Fill in the blank. On Tuesday, the longest speech in Senate history was completed by blank.
--:-- Host of Wait, Wait: Cory Booker. Right.
--:-- McGeehan: On Monday, the White House began another wave of blanks affecting employees at U.S. health agencies.
--:-- Host of Wait, Wait: Layoffs. Right.
--:-- McGeehan: On Monday, the astronauts who were stuck in the blank spoke publicly for the first time.
--:-- Host of Wait, Wait: International Space Station. Right.
--:-- McGeehan: On Wednesday, the CDC warned that cases of whooping blank were on the rise throughout the country.
--:-- Host of Wait, Wait: Cough. Right.
--:-- Host of Wait, Wait: This week, an AI recipe generator was flagged after it posted a recipe for blank.
--:-- McGeehan: Biscuits. No, cyanide ice cream. And also, quote, actual cocaine.
--:-- Host of Wait, Wait: On Tuesday, teachers at a high school in Virginia said they saw notable grade increases after enforcing a blank ban.
--:-- McGeehan: A phone ban. Cell phone ban, right.
--:-- Host of Wait, Wait: Known for his roles in Top Gun, Batman Forever, and top secret actor Blank passed away at the age of 65.
--:-- McGeehan: Val Kilmer. Right.
--:-- Host of Wait, Wait: This week, a man in Texas who broke into a car dealership was caught after he blanked.
--:-- McGeehan: Uh, fell asleep in the car he was stealing. No, he called police because he couldn't figure out how to get out of the building.
--:-- Host of Wait, Wait: Police say there was actually several unlocked doors the man could have gone through. Reports also say the only thing he managed to steal was a handful of candy, and even worse, he somehow ended up paying an extra $700 for undercoating.
--:-- Host of Wait, Wait: Bill, I think Nagin did pretty well. Very well. Six right, 12 more, and that gives her 13 in the lead.
--:-- Bill: All right. All right, Josh, I'm arbitrarily picking you to go next. So here we go, fill in the blank. On Tuesday, despite over $20 million in spending by Elon Musk, the liberal candidate won the Supreme Court election in blank.
--:-- Josh: Wisconsin. Right.
--:-- Host of Wait, Wait: On Monday, the DOJ directed prosecutors to seek the death penalty against blank.
--:-- Josh: Luigi Mangione. Right.
--:-- Host of Wait, Wait: On Monday, Italy said it would tighten regulations after a huge increase in people applying for blank.
--:-- Josh: Citizenship? Right.
--:-- Host of Wait, Wait: In a first for women's sports, South Carolina coach Dawn Staley blanked after making the final four for a second straight year.
--:-- Josh: Celebrated? She celebrated specifically by signing a baby's butt.
--:-- Host of Wait, Wait: On Monday, Mexico banned the sale of sweet treats in all of the blanks.
--:-- Josh: Bakeries? No. Schools.
--:-- Host of Wait, Wait: On Wednesday, the Switch 2 was announced the latest gaming system from blank.
--:-- Josh: Nintendo. Right.
--:-- Host of Wait, Wait: This week, a British man on his way to a soccer game who noticed papers littering the street quickly discovered they were blank.
--:-- Josh: Wanted posters for him? No. Top secret documents about British troop movements.
--:-- Host of Wait, Wait: The papers included details about patrol routes, weapons checks, and even included soldiers' names and phone numbers. It's like top British military officials heard about the U.S. group chat and were like, hey, hold my room temperature beer.
--:-- Host of Wait, Wait: Bill, how did Josh doing our quiz? Pretty good. Four right, eight more points. Total of 11 is in second place.
--:-- Bill: All right. So, Tig's already been very impressive. How many does she need to win in her debut appearance on our show? Five to die, six to win.
--:-- Host of Wait, Wait: All right. Tig. This is for the game. Fill in the blank. On Wednesday, a federal judge dismissed the case against New York Mayor Blank.
--:-- Tig: Eric Adams? Yes!
--:-- Host of Wait, Wait: This week, the FAA confirmed the creation of stress managing teams to help blanks deal with understaffing issues.
--:-- Tig: People. Yes. Specifically, air traffic controllers, though.
--:-- Host of Wait, Wait: On Monday, an iceberg the size of Chicago broke off an ice shelf in blank.
--:-- Tig: Water. The Antarctic.
--:-- Host of Wait, Wait: This week, a high-speed chase in Nashville ended when officers caught the car they were pursuing when its driver blanked.
--:-- Tig: Stopped. Yes! Stopped. Yes! I want to give it to you. Specifically, he stopped at a gas station to put more air in his tires.
--:-- Host of Wait, Wait: On Wednesday, the Queen Mary 2 was forced to end its cruise early after almost 250 passengers caught blank.
--:-- Tig: Diarrhea. Norovirus.
--:-- Host of Wait, Wait: According to a new data, getting the blank vaccine could protect against dementia.
--:-- Tig: Shingles. Right.
--:-- Host of Wait, Wait: This week, a flight from L.A. to Shanghai had to turn around mid-trip because blank forgot their passport.
--:-- Tig: Pilot. That's right. Two hours into the flight, the 275 passengers heard the pilot's, quote, very frustrated voice on the intercom, announced they were turning around because he had forgotten his passport.
--:-- Host of Wait, Wait: The flight resumed six hours behind schedule. But don't worry, passengers were awarded food vouchers worth up to $30, just enough to buy one egg to throw at the pilot.
--:-- Host of Wait, Wait: Did diarrhea count as neurovirus? I don't know. I think, I think, I don't know if you can count. They wanted to. Give the people what they want. Diarrhea! So, Bill, using your best judgment, did Tig Notaro do well enough to win?
--:-- Bill: Well, for a rookie, she did great. Four right, eight more points, totaled of 11. That means our champ is McGeean Farsall. You see? Came up from behind. You did. Oh, my God.
--:-- [Theme music for Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me fades out]
--:-- Scott Simon: And that's a wrap for today's Up First. Thanks for listening.
